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Author Topic:   Linux Version

Omnifarious posted 03-02-99 04:00 PM ET
Will you ever be coming out with a Linux version? I really like your game, but it would be even nicer if I didn't have to reboot to play it.

iratheous posted 03-02-99 05:37 PM ET
I don't see a good reason for a Linux port myself. Every person i have seen post requesting a port states that they hate doing xxx to run the game, which means they are perfectly capable of alreadyusing their game. Out of all the people who have already purchased the game, how many more are going to spend another $25-$50 to buy a new copy? Not many is my guess. Sure there may be a handful fo poeople in this forum who will respond that they woudl buy a second copy but I don't think that handful of people asking for a non-essential version fo the game is reason enough for EA to spend more money creating a version destined to be a bust. (in finacial-rewards terms)
Mabee in a year or two if Linux actually gets to the point where it has a large enough user base running Linux on a machine that meets the minimum system requirements of the game peolpe AND people have an interest to install a game on thier 'servers' it woudl be a good time to release a linux version. But i think it is too early to start porting games to an operating system that is hardly used in the grand scheme of things, especially since most Linux users have a windows machine in perfect working order that will run the game jut fine.
Spoe posted 03-02-99 05:41 PM ET
I would love to see a Linux port.
I think it might depend on how well the Linux ports of CTP and other games do in the market.
Thunder posted 03-03-99 01:27 AM ET
If I could get rid of windows, I would. And a Linux version of SMAC would be a good reason to remove windows from my computer. Right now, the only thing keeping windows on my computer is games.
And the whole ideology of Linux is that it's free, so the Linux port should be released as patch, not as full priced game.
iratheous posted 03-03-99 03:18 AM ET
Released as a free patch? What could possibly persuade EA to release a free patch that would cost alot fo money to produce? Hell why not just make the Mac version a free patch while thier at it?? Jst because the operating system is free doesn't mean that software compaines have to release thier products for free on that system. So if I design my own personal operating system it is ok for me to demand that EA create a version that works on my system and not charge me for the changes?
CyberPop posted 03-03-99 09:03 AM ET
16% market share is nothing to laugh at ant that is where Linux is now. One way to get Linux viable is to have companies to release software to this platform. As to whether it is free or not, obviously it should not be. Only the OS is free. Corel is releasing Linux versions for its line of software (Corel draw is the only confirmed one I've heard of) and it will not be free. As it stands now if you want a fully functional (I mean MSWord equivalent) you do pay for it is not free and you are talking $1500 just to get in the door. Finally, it is are responsibility to support Linux to have a viable option to the evil empire of MS. When I say are I mean the Linux community that is out there just piddling around in it. If you like WIN95 and its brothers then you can tell Linux to go take a leap but be prepared for Linux to take over.
Have a nice day
Cyber Pop
Alexis posted 03-03-99 11:10 AM ET
Do it like Quake and the like: You buy the game for one platform (say Windoze) and you can download the other binaries from the net. So you need to have the CD to get the support files, but the exe files are available. And yes, you could then also get the Mac / BeOS / whatever binaries as well.
End result: More copies sold. If your game is developed intelligently, the executable will be a small portion of the intellectual capital of the game. The magic is in the .pak file.
Ciao
Alexis
Thunder posted 03-04-99 02:53 AM ET
If the Linux version would be a free patch, then the people who have already bought the game, don't have to buy it again to play it on a different OS, but the linux users who haven't bought the game yet would still have to buy the game and then download the patch. So the whole game wouldn't be free, just the executable.
evil_conquerer posted 03-09-99 11:58 AM ET
EA published the game, and they, not Firaxis, are the only ones who will decide if there will be a Linux port. So, all you Linux users, start driving up the hit counter and posting to this thread saying that you support a Linux patch. If we get enough votes, we can show EA this thread and that might make them more likely to do a port.
BTW, I have Windoze but I'm installing Linux soon.
Show your support!
DaKrushr posted 03-09-99 12:25 PM ET
A linux port would be REALLY nice - again, the only reason I boot to windows is for games. Having SMAC and Civ:CTP for Linux would be awesome....
mckelveyf posted 03-09-99 06:16 PM ET
I would love a linux version and bought the game cause there was talk of one.
I think what we need is a page for people to sign up in support of a port. A big list of people always help. Not a petition though. A friendly sign of support.
I can't code the cgi to do that, but i could figure out a way to post it and tell people about it.
fenn
iratheous posted 03-10-99 08:08 AM ET
I could program and host a cgi petition or something if you want. Just tell me what you want it to do.
DaKrushr posted 03-10-99 12:56 PM ET
A 'petition' would be nice - post a link to it on SlashDot (www.slashdot.org) and/or Linuxgames.com, and you'll et several thousand signatures almost immediately - I guarantee it .
Just make sure that your server can handle being slashdotted...
Suggestions for the petition:
Name
Email address
State/Country
Comments
Whether or not you already have SMAC
Whether or not it would make you buy SMAC
iratheous posted 03-10-99 08:40 PM ET
Ok, I'll have this done by midnight pacific time. I'm goin out to see a movie tonight so I'll start on it afterwards. I'll post the URL at that time.
Oleg Leschoff posted 03-11-99 08:02 AM ET
Huh? Linux port?
Ha-ha-ha! To those who really believes that this is possible, can you please explain me why there isn't even a WinNT support wich has DirectX on it. If those people can't even port game to NT wich uses almost the same interface [win32+directX], how can you believe that they will port it on linux??? Besides of clear complexity problem of such a port, look how much the WinNT distributed and compare to linux.
Wraith posted 03-11-99 08:19 AM ET
--"there isn't even a WinNT support wich has DirectX on it."
Actually, Service Pack 4 has DirectX 3 compatability.
--"how can you believe that they will port it on linux?"
Although I haven't tested SMAC on it yet, a number of DirectX games will run on various emulators (with varying degrees of success) on Linux. You can even run Starcraft on WINE.
Frankly, the DirectX support isn't the problem (which is probably that any good port takes a lot of time, and they've already got the game out and want to get to work on something else already), since games like Quake have full Linux ports (and Q3 is going to be released for PC, Mac and Linux). It's an economics issue. Do they want to spend the time and money to do it, and will they be able to make money off it? Remember, they're working through EA now.
Wraith
Strange attractors - getting there is half the fun
Oleg Leschoff posted 03-11-99 08:32 AM ET
Aha, it works on NT (actually, I don't use W98 at all). But it crashes five or more times every turn from some point of game (maybe after somebody builds air units and they're scrambling...). I've mentioned all bugs I found of this game, including this one, in my thread about bugs in The Game section (however, it was a pretty short one...)
In fact, in readme said that it might work on NT with sp3 but it's not supported, and this is what I mean. I don't believe it's very hard to determine what might not work on NT or even fix bugs that found there by users. But No-support mean no support at all.
damien posted 03-11-99 01:43 PM ET
There is not support for NT because AC requires DirectX 6 which is not available for NT. BTW it's rumoured that adding DX6 is one of the main reasons why Win2K has been delayed so much.
achatham posted 03-11-99 11:43 PM ET
Brian Reynolds said a while ago that the lead engineer was a big Linux fan and was considering doing the port himself. BR also said that most of the DirectX code was just for networking, not graphics. I, personally, would love a Linux version. To the person who said that the linux market is too small, that's probably true. It's too small to support a full-fledged game industry yet. But the thing is that the games market for Linux is faaaaaaaaar behind its userbase. As a result, when a commercial game gets released for Linux, people buy it in droves even if it sucks. They want to support the platform, and that's the way to do it.
kingnurgle posted 03-12-99 12:47 AM ET
I ask humbly for info concerning the Support Page.. I would actually Repurchace the game for linux... the support would be very nice...
DaKrushr posted 03-13-99 12:54 PM ET
Is the petition-thingy up yet?
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Author	Topic: Linux Version
Omnifarious	posted 03-02-99 04:00 PM ET Will you ever be coming out with a Linux version? I really like your game, but it would be even nicer if I didn't have to reboot to play it.
iratheous	posted 03-02-99 05:37 PM ET I don't see a good reason for a Linux port myself. Every person i have seen post requesting a port states that they hate doing xxx to run the game, which means they are perfectly capable of alreadyusing their game. Out of all the people who have already purchased the game, how many more are going to spend another $25-$50 to buy a new copy? Not many is my guess. Sure there may be a handful fo poeople in this forum who will respond that they woudl buy a second copy but I don't think that handful of people asking for a non-essential version fo the game is reason enough for EA to spend more money creating a version destined to be a bust. (in finacial-rewards terms) Mabee in a year or two if Linux actually gets to the point where it has a large enough user base running Linux on a machine that meets the minimum system requirements of the game peolpe AND people have an interest to install a game on thier 'servers' it woudl be a good time to release a linux version. But i think it is too early to start porting games to an operating system that is hardly used in the grand scheme of things, especially since most Linux users have a windows machine in perfect working order that will run the game jut fine.
Spoe	posted 03-02-99 05:41 PM ET I would love to see a Linux port. I think it might depend on how well the Linux ports of CTP and other games do in the market.
Thunder	posted 03-03-99 01:27 AM ET If I could get rid of windows, I would. And a Linux version of SMAC would be a good reason to remove windows from my computer. Right now, the only thing keeping windows on my computer is games. And the whole ideology of Linux is that it's free, so the Linux port should be released as patch, not as full priced game.
iratheous	posted 03-03-99 03:18 AM ET Released as a free patch? What could possibly persuade EA to release a free patch that would cost alot fo money to produce? Hell why not just make the Mac version a free patch while thier at it?? Jst because the operating system is free doesn't mean that software compaines have to release thier products for free on that system. So if I design my own personal operating system it is ok for me to demand that EA create a version that works on my system and not charge me for the changes?
CyberPop	posted 03-03-99 09:03 AM ET 16% market share is nothing to laugh at ant that is where Linux is now. One way to get Linux viable is to have companies to release software to this platform. As to whether it is free or not, obviously it should not be. Only the OS is free. Corel is releasing Linux versions for its line of software (Corel draw is the only confirmed one I've heard of) and it will not be free. As it stands now if you want a fully functional (I mean MSWord equivalent) you do pay for it is not free and you are talking $1500 just to get in the door. Finally, it is are responsibility to support Linux to have a viable option to the evil empire of MS. When I say are I mean the Linux community that is out there just piddling around in it. If you like WIN95 and its brothers then you can tell Linux to go take a leap but be prepared for Linux to take over. Have a nice day Cyber Pop
Alexis	posted 03-03-99 11:10 AM ET Do it like Quake and the like: You buy the game for one platform (say Windoze) and you can download the other binaries from the net. So you need to have the CD to get the support files, but the exe files are available. And yes, you could then also get the Mac / BeOS / whatever binaries as well. End result: More copies sold. If your game is developed intelligently, the executable will be a small portion of the intellectual capital of the game. The magic is in the .pak file. Ciao Alexis
Thunder	posted 03-04-99 02:53 AM ET If the Linux version would be a free patch, then the people who have already bought the game, don't have to buy it again to play it on a different OS, but the linux users who haven't bought the game yet would still have to buy the game and then download the patch. So the whole game wouldn't be free, just the executable.
evil_conquerer	posted 03-09-99 11:58 AM ET EA published the game, and they, not Firaxis, are the only ones who will decide if there will be a Linux port. So, all you Linux users, start driving up the hit counter and posting to this thread saying that you support a Linux patch. If we get enough votes, we can show EA this thread and that might make them more likely to do a port. BTW, I have Windoze but I'm installing Linux soon. Show your support!
DaKrushr	posted 03-09-99 12:25 PM ET A linux port would be REALLY nice - again, the only reason I boot to windows is for games. Having SMAC and Civ:CTP for Linux would be awesome....
mckelveyf	posted 03-09-99 06:16 PM ET I would love a linux version and bought the game cause there was talk of one. I think what we need is a page for people to sign up in support of a port. A big list of people always help. Not a petition though. A friendly sign of support. I can't code the cgi to do that, but i could figure out a way to post it and tell people about it. fenn
iratheous	posted 03-10-99 08:08 AM ET I could program and host a cgi petition or something if you want. Just tell me what you want it to do.
DaKrushr	posted 03-10-99 12:56 PM ET A 'petition' would be nice - post a link to it on SlashDot (www.slashdot.org) and/or Linuxgames.com, and you'll et several thousand signatures almost immediately - I guarantee it . Just make sure that your server can handle being slashdotted... Suggestions for the petition: Name Email address State/Country Comments Whether or not you already have SMAC Whether or not it would make you buy SMAC
iratheous	posted 03-10-99 08:40 PM ET Ok, I'll have this done by midnight pacific time. I'm goin out to see a movie tonight so I'll start on it afterwards. I'll post the URL at that time.
Oleg Leschoff	posted 03-11-99 08:02 AM ET Huh? Linux port? Ha-ha-ha! To those who really believes that this is possible, can you please explain me why there isn't even a WinNT support wich has DirectX on it. If those people can't even port game to NT wich uses almost the same interface [win32+directX], how can you believe that they will port it on linux??? Besides of clear complexity problem of such a port, look how much the WinNT distributed and compare to linux.
Wraith	posted 03-11-99 08:19 AM ET --"there isn't even a WinNT support wich has DirectX on it." Actually, Service Pack 4 has DirectX 3 compatability. --"how can you believe that they will port it on linux?" Although I haven't tested SMAC on it yet, a number of DirectX games will run on various emulators (with varying degrees of success) on Linux. You can even run Starcraft on WINE. Frankly, the DirectX support isn't the problem (which is probably that any good port takes a lot of time, and they've already got the game out and want to get to work on something else already), since games like Quake have full Linux ports (and Q3 is going to be released for PC, Mac and Linux). It's an economics issue. Do they want to spend the time and money to do it, and will they be able to make money off it? Remember, they're working through EA now. Wraith Strange attractors - getting there is half the fun
Oleg Leschoff	posted 03-11-99 08:32 AM ET Aha, it works on NT (actually, I don't use W98 at all). But it crashes five or more times every turn from some point of game (maybe after somebody builds air units and they're scrambling...). I've mentioned all bugs I found of this game, including this one, in my thread about bugs in The Game section (however, it was a pretty short one...) In fact, in readme said that it might work on NT with sp3 but it's not supported, and this is what I mean. I don't believe it's very hard to determine what might not work on NT or even fix bugs that found there by users. But No-support mean no support at all.
damien	posted 03-11-99 01:43 PM ET There is not support for NT because AC requires DirectX 6 which is not available for NT. BTW it's rumoured that adding DX6 is one of the main reasons why Win2K has been delayed so much.
achatham	posted 03-11-99 11:43 PM ET Brian Reynolds said a while ago that the lead engineer was a big Linux fan and was considering doing the port himself. BR also said that most of the DirectX code was just for networking, not graphics. I, personally, would love a Linux version. To the person who said that the linux market is too small, that's probably true. It's too small to support a full-fledged game industry yet. But the thing is that the games market for Linux is faaaaaaaaar behind its userbase. As a result, when a commercial game gets released for Linux, people buy it in droves even if it sucks. They want to support the platform, and that's the way to do it.
kingnurgle	posted 03-12-99 12:47 AM ET I ask humbly for info concerning the Support Page.. I would actually Repurchace the game for linux... the support would be very nice...
DaKrushr	posted 03-13-99 12:54 PM ET Is the petition-thingy up yet?